Successful GPS-Denied Navigation – Israeli Drone Delivery Program

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Another milestone achieved on the way to safe and secure drone delivery services in Israel. Within the framework of the Israeli drone delivery pilot program NAAMA, a first test of a drone in a GPS-denied environment was successfully conducted in a drone test zone in Yeruham, Southern Israel. 

The drone delivery pilot program is run by Israel’s Ministry of Transport (MoT), Ayalon Highways, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI), and the Israel Innovation Authority (IAI).

The current test sought to examine the usability of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) navigation solutions. 

By proving to be successful and stable in GPS-denied environments, drones’ vision-based navigation technologies can help operators cope with the increasing threat of GPS signal disruptions, including those caused by hacking, satellite malfunction, etc.

The tests demonstrated drone navigation directly to the destination without the need for any satellite infrastructure. Their lack of connection blocks them from enemies seeking to disrupt military missions. 

NavSight, the vision-based navigation technology for the test, was provided by Sightec. The camera-based solution allows for AI to assess the visual situation for autonomous day and night missions and lets the drone understand the surrounding environment like a human pilot. Simplex Interactive developed the FlightOps.io drone operating system, allowing the operation of multiple drones BVLOS and in shared airspace.